MAGNUM GUIDE SERVICE HAS DONE IT AGAIN! On my first hunt with Magnum, my wife (70 yrs young), my granddaughter (14 yrs) and myself (70) harvested 2 trophy bucks and 1 management buck. It was an awesome hunt with good food. We all had a great time! My second hunt was in Marathon, TX and I took a 6x6 bull elk, a mule deer and whitetail deer. Had a couple of misses but it was an awesome hunt. It was a great free range hunt! My third hunt was myself, my 17 year old grandson and my best friend since grade school. They each harvested 6x6 free range bull elk and my grandson shot an Aoudad Ram at 300 yards. I made an "can't believe it shot" with Jim's rifle on an Aoudad Ram at 835 yards! Best hunt of my life - unbelievable hunt for all of us! My fourth hunt was myself and my 2 granddaughters (ages 13 & 15). We shot 2 trophy bucks and a management buck. Another awesome hunt with Magnum. I recently (March, 2019) went by myself on my fifth hunt with Magnum and got four bobcats, four coyotes, two javelinas and two raccoons! I cannot say enough about the service and hunt time spent in the field. This met all of my expectations! Thank you Magnum Guide Service!- Ronnie Skaggs, TX

I just completed a 3 day hunt with Jaime and Magnum. What a fantastic trip. Jaime worked hard to make sure we were on animals all the time within a few min of arriving we shot a couple of javelinas. Went out that night and had shots at bobcat. It was windy but he worked thru it. He went out every day while we were sleeping to do some scouting. What a fantastic guide. Had an absolutely awesome experience down by Laredo, TX. There are more cats here than I’ve ever seen in all my years of hunting. Beautiful country and great service. Melony did a great job of cooking for us. We always had plenty of food and it was delicious. Jaime worked hard and we ended up with 4 bobcats, 2 javelina, a bunch of raccoons and rabbits. There was plenty of shooting over the 3 days we were there. It was windy but he really worked at it and I can’t thank him enough. What a fantastic experience and I would recommend Jaime to guide you on a day or night predator hunt!- Jeff Bause, NJ

I have hunted all over the country and when looking for a predator hunt we found Magnum Guide Service’s website. We did some reference checks and made the decision to book a 3 day hunt. Our guides, Scott & Jaime, were very knowledgeable of the area. They put us on so many animals and we had many wonderful shot opportunities. Had great set ups on the bobcats, coyotes, hogs & javelina. Their team couldn’t be more professional and Melony was a wonderful cook. It is a 5 star operation and I highly recommend their services. I would be happy to talk over the phone if anyone has any questions. We will be back – thank you!- Jason Schambers, PA

Magnum Guide Service does a fantastic job. I have never been on a predator hunt like this before. Our guide, Scott, was a workhorse and had us on cats & coyotes just about every hunt. We only didn’t see a coyote or cat one time in 3 days. I shot 2 boars, 4 cats and a javelina. It was a trip of lifetime with non-stop action. The food was incredible, by far the best I have ever had at any lodge. I want to thank them very much and I highly recommend this hunt to anyone who is serious about predator hunting!- John Schambers, PA

We just finished up our predator hunt at the ranch near Laredo, TX. We were hoping to get a bobcat and got five! It was a great experience. Jaime, our guide, did a great job calling the cats in and we had plenty of opportunity. My hunting partner, Bill, and I got into the javelina the first days we were here which was no problem whatsoever. Jim, Melony and everyone were great! We had great food, great atmosphere, and a great lodge. The lodge was very nice and comfortable. We were just happy to be there. This was our second trip with Magnum. The first time we came down for spring turkey. This experience was equally as fun and just as rewarding. We’re really looking forward to the next one. I’m sure anyone would really enjoy this type of hunting!- Denver Rawlings, SC

A couple of years ago my hunting buddy Denver and I hunted spring turkey with Magnum and decided we wanted to try the predator hunting.This would be my first predator hunt. Both Denver and I were hoping to get a bobcat and we were both well rewarded with multiples. There’s definitely a learning curve in hunting these predators but our guide Jaime was very helpful in explaining what we needed and not needed to do. The coyotes didn’t cooperate as much for us but we did get to see opportunities. To me this was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had in the multiple types of hunting that I’ve done. I would highly recommend to anybody if they were wanting to start predator hunting that they come and hunt with Jim and his guides!- Bill Campbell, NC

Our family and friends have been on 3 hunts with Magnum Guide Service. It is impossible to choose which hunt was the best because they were all excellent and successful. If you like shooting a lot, you cannot beat the Predator Hunt, you will have plenty of opportunities to shoot animals. Jim and Scott work their butts off putting us in front of animals and giving us great shot opportunities. If you’re hunting with kids, you couldn’t find a better place to help develop your child into a hunter. Our first predator hunt was when my son was 7 years old. Jim started him out shooting rabbits to build up his shooting skills and confidence. After taking down around 20 rabbits, not including the few my wife got in on, we moved on to javelinas, raccoons, coyotes and bobcats. My son arrived on this hunt a little timid of shooting animals and left with the confidence he could take down any animal- thank you Jim! Jim double-downed on my son's confidence on our second hunt, an exotic hunt, by setting up a 404 yard shot on a Blackbuck Antelope, which he nailed! The whole experience with Magnum Guide Service is what they state and what you see on their website; very family oriented, the lodges have the hunting lodge feel and clean, the food is beyond excellent, thanks to Melony, reservations were easily made and pick-up to and from the airport was done in person by Jim and Scott. Jim and Melony do a very good job of answering calls and emails in a timely manner and the paperwork is handled in a professional manner that doesn’t leave you guessing what you are getting into and what you need to bring on the hunt. I highly recommend Magnum Guide Service and I am looking forward to hunting with our friends Jim, Melony and Scott for many years to come!- Steve Hucovski, MN

Just a note to thank you for a great first night time predator hunt. This is something I’d wanted to do for a long time and it was all I could have asked for. I had looked for outfitters to go with and Jim was the only one to return a call. He gave me all the information I needed to know when to come, what to expect and what to bring. I found the lodging to be excellent, Melony is a wonderful cook and the meals were fantastic. I will say with hunting all night the meals were at odd hours at times. You have a wonderful lodge and I felt at home immediately.
Scott is a very personable, professional and capable guide. I enjoyed every minute of the hunt with him. He gets a little excited around bobcats, we have that in common and I especially appreciate his efforts to get me a cat. He mentioned he knew how much that meant to me. He was patient with a first timer, communicated well and by the end of the hunt we had the smack down perfected. We hunted sun up to sun down, there was no quit in him and he stayed as long as I said I wanted to stay. It was hard to think about giving up with multiple foxes coming to the call most of the night.
A special part of the experience was being there with Austin and his father for his first deer hunt. Jim was a gentle coach and teacher getting Austin ready to hunt and teaching him to shoot. You have a safe place to bring those types of hunters that need a little extra hand in being successful and enjoying the experience.
Thanks again, I’ll be back next year. Would love to see the Laredo operation and hunt an Aoudad in west Texas some time. - Myron Guymon, UT

My group hunted primarily coyotes and bobcats near Laredo, TX with Magnum in February, 2017. Several of us had quite an afternoon chasing javelina, spotting and stalking the skunk pigs from the back of Jim's truck into the southwestern Texas terrain. They were everywhere! In total, our six-man camp took eight of them in about 15 minutes. The fun of chasing those peccary took me back to the thrill of hunting as a kid. Jim and Melony run a great camp that I recommend to everyone!
- Brandon Miller, AL

Jim is not new at this predator game. He knows his stuff and is more wind-conscious than an old trophy whitetail. I’ve done this a lot, and that was the best predator hunt I have experienced with a guide. Each day brought shot opportunities, sometimes many, and another party in camp called in more coyotes in a few hours in one evening with Jim on the call than I have ever heard of. We took multiple trophy bobcats and more coyotes than I can recall. Plus bonus javelina! Great food, folks and lodging. The sooner I get to hunt coyotes with Jim Roche again, the better.- Skip Knowles, CO

Thanks again for another wonderful predator hunt. Your knowledge & passion for hunting these animals is second to none. You and your wife are also top notch hosts, making your hunters feel at home from the moment they walk through the door. Thank you.- Richard Welker, MI

I am back in Spain after an unforgetable trip. I would very much like to thank you both for the fantastic days spent in Eldorado. Let me tell you that the hunt was exciting, Jim's ability for calling in predators is unbelievable. Melony's cooking was great and something we looked forward to every meal. Your hunting lodge is fantastic, not just very comfortable, but the amount and quality of trophies reflects Jim's whole life as a wonderful hunter. Also, best regards from Estela and Miguel! Thank you again.
- Juan Guerra, Spain

Thank you once again for another fine weekend of hunting which I really enjoyed. We had some tough weather conditions at times but still got it done on the foxes which I had wanted so badly since missing every opportunity for one on the last predator hunt I was on. The raccoons sure were plentiful and kept us busy. I even enjoyed finally seeing a ringtail cat in the wild. The food, accommodations, and friendships were 4-star as usual. God willing, Keiran and I will be back early in this fall’s whitetail hunt (the exact timing is dependent on Keiran’s school schedule) to knock a few more down for the freezer. I’ll be equipped and ready for some long-range shooting. Thanks again.
- John Zehmisch, AZ

Chris and I had a great time and will enjoy the memories. Thank you for your wonderful service and I will be sure to recommend you to all our hunting friends. Hope to be back hunting with you soon.- Anthony Gaglio, CT

Dear Jim and Melony, Thank you for such a wonderful javelina/predator hunt. The accommodations, especially the cooking were outstanding. Both my men and my son had the Predator Hunt of a lifetime. Your patience and training with my son made his success complete and truly satisfying. This is definitely the perfect hunt for a young hunter and his father. I would highly recommend your extremely professional outfit for any father and son combination. The long ride home was shortened by our wonderful stories.- Eric, Josh, Chris and Shane, IL

Dear Jim and Melony, We had a wonderful time on our predator hunt in Ft. Davis, TX. It was amazing all of the game we saw on our three day hunt. Jim, your ability to get that huge bobcat in was awesome and of course everything else you called in was too. Terence and I knew that when we booked our trip with Magnum we would have a trip of a lifetime, and it was! In just the couple of days since we have been home I have told everyone about this trip and I am recommending that anybody who wants to book a predator hunt to call Magnum. The Aoudad and Barbado Ram hunts were very exciting and believe me, it was a 100% spot and stalk hunt and that is what true hunting is all about. Both trophies will make fine mounts. Melony, the food was excellent and the hospitality was superb. Terence and I both thought that the highlight of the trip was the boar he shot. What a beast! Anybody who goes predator or sheep hunting with Magnum will have a time of their lives. Jim and Melony, thanks again. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute and look forward to seeing you during the upcoming spring turkey hunt. By the way, tell Scout to watch out for those javelinas!- Travis & Terence Hill, LA

Dear Jim and Melony, The hunt last week was superb and I sincerely appreciate both the opportunity and all that you did for Irene and me. Our combination predator/varmint/ram/feral hog/exotic hunt really exceeded even the high expectations I have developed of MGS hunts over the last five years; you outdid yourselves again. Despite tough environmental conditions including thunderstorms, your expertise resulted in critters responding on nearly every stand we made. The variety was simply amazing with coyotes, bobcats, badgers, fox, porcupine, and raccoon all being in my sights. The jackrabbits provided additional entertainment in between other hunts as well as some really good offhand rifle practice. I truly enjoyed the javelina hunting and am thrilled with the two boars I took. Much like my previous Aoudad hunt with you in Palo Duro Canyon, I was thrilled with the challenge of the free-range Barbados Rams on the ranch near Ft. Davis. They proved to be worthy adversaries and the heavy horned ram we took will make a fine mount. Melony, the food was superb, the company was great and Irene enjoyed the shopping in and tour of the eccentric communities of Ft. Davis, Marfa, and Alpine while she waited for her turn to hunt exotics. Irene’s Scimitar-Horned Oryx hunt was challenging and provided her with both fond memories and a fine trophy of a battle-scarred old warrior. While I didn’t score on my last-minute exotic hunt due to the self-imposed time limitations I had, I sure got into the impromptu feral hog shooting we did. Irene, Keiran and I will see you in November for some more big whitetails! We’ll be there early as I’ve got may name on a Gemsbok and just may be tempted by those excellent Fallow stags I saw on the Bruno Ranch.- John R. Zehmisch, AZ

Jim,
I would just like to thank you guys for an awesome time me and my son of 16 years had with all of you. It was a great bonding experience that he and I will have for the rest of our lives.
After leaving your camp I traveled to Nebraska for a Merriam Turkey hunt. The outfitter there did a fine job too. What separates you guys is the professionalism at ALL levels; lodging, food, knowledgeable guides that do it all for you from guiding you, teaching you their tricks that make you a better hunter, doing everything it takes to make sure you have the best shot opportunity and taking care of your game as if it were theirs. I have used you guys in the past, have referred you to many of my friends and will continue to do so as well. Thanks again Melony for putting together the cd of great photos.- Bob and Bobby Burns, PA

Thanks again for another great MGS hunt! It was nice to see you all once again and I am looking forward to coming back in the fall. The times spent in the field were very special and be assured that the "lessons learned" will carry into the next hunting season. Your outfit continues to provide the very best in hunting, lodging, food and accommodations that would surely impress any hunter. Please give Casey a special thanks for all his help and guidance in the field. Have a safe and prosperous year, and may God Bless you all.- Mitch O’Donnell, FL

Kyle and I had a great time predator hunting with you and Mel this past weekend. Jim - Thank you for all your hard work putting us in position and hunting so long Saturday night it was a lot of fun. That was a beautiful ranch we were on. Mel-the food was wonderful and we love Prissy! As you can see, Kyle is not a boy anymore. Having the opportunity to spend time with him like we did on the drive out there and back and during the hunt was priceless. Jim, your words to Kyle about manhood and facing up to life's challenges were very well taken. Thank you both for the hospitality and great memories.- Sam Jones, TX

Just wanted to thank you and Melony again for a great trip. I have never done a predator hunt before but WOW! what fun, with a lot of set ups and action all night. I'll be back for this hunt again. Or, maybe just for the meals - gonna be a tough decision. Can't say enough about the accommodations, meals, guides, etc. First class outfit for sure. I will be getting in touch with you on a whitetail and exotic hunt for late December. Thank you.- Bob Burns, PA

If a bobcat is on the list of species you want but chasing one through the snow in the dead of winter gives you pause, then subscriber Wayne Swim may have found just the thing for you. It's a summer hunt for cats in south Texas.
Yes, Texas is hot in the summer, and cat pelts aren't primed up at that time. But Swim says neither of these are really a factor. To begin with, this hunt takes place at night when the temperatures are a comfortable 70-plus degrees. He says he and his guide set up in areas known to have cats. They used a red light, which is legal in Texas, and both electronic and mouth predator calls to bring the cats in. Swim says he had his own doubts about these predators responding to a call at this time of year when they have so much food readily available, but in two nights of hunting he says he had opportunities at two cats he positively identified and one that would not leave the brush but that he and his guide were sure was a bobcat.
The first night of Swim's hunt a cat walked a ridgeline in the open but went into cover before Swim could get a shot. The second night, a cat appeared behind the hunters, and Swim, who was hunting with both a 22-250 and a shotgun, missed the shot at 30 yards with the rifle. "I had my opportunities; I just didn't connect," he admits. Despite striking out on a bobcat, Swim says he had a wonderful time shooting varmints, so many in fact, he says his gun barrel grew quite hot during the course of the hunt. Swim also took a javelina with a bow during the day, and he says he had a number of six-eight-and 10 point whitetail bucks come within shooting distance, including one that was already a Pope & Young buck with even another month of growth ahead of him.
Swim hunted with Jim Roche of Magnum Guide Service (Tel. 325-853-1555. E-mail: jroche@magnumguideservice.com), whom he says knew where to find the bobcats and how to set up for them. Accommodations were in Roche's home, where Swim says Roche and his wife, Melony, welcomed him and made him quite comfortable. Swim says the cost of a two-day 1x1 predator and javelina combo hunt costs $1,350.00 plus a 5-day hunting license for $45.00 that covers all predators and varmints, plus exotic game. Bobcats and other predators are huntable year round in Texas.- The Hunting Report - October 2003 Issue

Everything at Magnum was top-drawer... my guide was the best guide I've ever had after going on hunting trips all over for 25 years. He was knowledgeable, personable, flexible, honest, positive, and energetic. Our predator hunt was coming to an end at 2am, but when I asked if we could extend it to 3am, he simply did it- no extra charge, no negotiation, just a fine professional guide who loves helping other people hunt! Melony and Marianne (sorry if spelling incorrect) provided superior administration, fantastic food, and were good enough to entertain my kids. In particular, VBS made a lasting impression. The kids are still singing the songs and doing the exercises one month later (unfortunately, in the car!) I briefly met Gerald, another guide, who also seemed a highly-motivated individual. The lodge provided Top Executive-class accommodations, with some of the most impressive, museum-quality mounts I've seen. Oh, and definitely you guys have got Game. The rack of a management buck you gave my son are on the wall above his bed; it's a monster. You have a unique, flawless, and comprehensive service. We all had a tremendous experience, and want to repeat it; please see my other email for details.... Many thanks.- Len Watkins, NJ

Doug and I had a great time with Magnum. Our hunt for javelina and predators was great and very successful. Your home is beautiful, your equipment is top notch and guides are fun and very knowledgeable. I'm sure we will be hunting together again in the near future. One of my next hunts will be brown bear in Alaska, but I may have to try for one of those big whitetails I saw while hunting pigs. I would like to thank Jim, Melony (great cook), and J.P. for one hell of a hunt!- Dave Henry, PA

I wanted to thank you folks again for my third straight season of great hunting experiences. As always the food, accommodations, guiding and above all the hunting were top-notch, and your hospitality and camaraderie made them doubly enjoyable. The hard work and care you put into your outfit really shows and you can count on me coming back next season. Until then, have a safe and happy 2003!- Peter Schorn, TX